Scottish Book Trust unveils new song and rhyme library

Bookbug, Scotland’s national book gifting programme run by Scottish Book Trust, has unveiled a brand-new Song and Rhyme Library housed on their website.

With funding from the Scottish Government’s Youth Music Initiative administered by Creative Scotland, the new Song and Rhyme Library provides a searchable online catalogue of fun demonstration videos for parents, carers and Early Years practitioners in Scotland.

These videos aim to help audiences discover new songs, remember forgotten favourites and to offer tips on actions, tone and how these may be adapted for different age groups.

This year’s theme for Bookbug Week is Bookbug’s Big Giggle – a fun and playful theme that encourages parents and carers to share playful songs and stories with their children in order to highlight that laughter is essential for well-being and for building bonds between carers and children. To aid the playful theme of Bookbug Week and to help with parental confidence in using music with their children, the Song and Rhyme library offers a catalogue of songs that suit different moods and themes. For each video, there are also suggestions on how songs and actions can vary depending on children’s age. Additional materials and resources are also available in the library catalogue and explain why particular songs and rhymes are beneficial for child development.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “There is no right or wrong way to use these videos, they are there to help parents and carers learn the words, tune or actions and to encourage families to share rhymes as much as they can. Children naturally love music. Singing and joining in with music not only helps with learning, it’s also a great way to bond with your child and it’s good fun!”

Music making, and the opportunity to participate in musical activities is recognised as having a strong positive impact on many aspects of children’s overall development. By using music in the home, parents are supporting their children’s development in a number of key areas including: literacy, numeracy, motor skills, vocabulary, and social skills.

Raymond Black, YMI Manager at Creative Scotland said: “Creative Scotland is committed to ensuring that everyone can access and enjoy quality artistic creative experiences whoever they are, wherever they are from and at any stage in their life. This valuable new resource provides the opportunity for children and their families across Scotland to enjoy music together, learn initial musical skills and benefit from the positive impacts that music can have on wider development.”

To find out more about the Song and Rhyme library visit: www.scottishbooktrust.com/songandrhyme